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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — A New York man was convicted Tuesday of plotting an aborted suicide mission against New York City subways in 2009 — a case that featured the first-time testimony from admitted homegrown terrorists about al Qaeda’s fixation with pulling off another attack on American soil.

A jury found Adis Medunjanin guilty of all counts for his role in a terror plot that federal authorities say was one of the closest calls since Sept. 11, 2001.

There was no reaction from the defendant at the reading of the verdict. Medunjanin‘s family, refugees from Bosnia who’d literally been saved from persecution there by this country, also sat silently, in contrast to almost constant tears during the trial proceedings, CBS 2’s Don Dahler reported.

Prosecutors called half a dozen members of the NYPD’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to testify about the intense surveillance of the three men. Ironically, it was when Zazi, the ring leader, realized they were being followed and watched, that he abandoned the plot and fled back to Denver.

Medunjanin could receive life in prison. Sentencing is set for Sept. 7.

“I want to commend prosecutors for the conviction of Adis Medunjanin. His conviction stands as a stark reminder of terrorists’ desire long after 9/11 to return to the city to kill more New Yorkers,” said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly in a statement.

CBS News’ John Miller was with the FBI at the time of the plot and said the terror trio originally had ambitious targets.

“Targets they looked at, the Stock Exchange, Grand Central, landmarks, but they settled on the New York subway system around the 9/11 anniversary in January of 2009,” Miller said.

Zazi testified that Medunjanin shared his views back then that “America is oppressing Muslims in Afghanistan” and that it was their duty to join the jihad and kill Americans.

However, defense attorneys said their client never intended to kill anyone on American soil.

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(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)